Perhaps the most effective way to foster critical thinking skills is to teach those skills. Explicitly. (Abrami et al 2008).

Studies suggest that students become remarkably better problem-solvers when we teach them to

analyze analogies

create categories and classify items appropriately

identify relevant information

construct and recognize valid deductive arguments

test hypotheses

recognize common reasoning fallacies

distinguish between evidence and interpretations of evidence

Do such lessons stifle creativity? Not at all. Critical thinking
is about curiosity, flexibility, and keeping an open mind (Quitadamo et
al 2008). And, as Robert DeHaan has argued, creative problem solving
depends on critical thinking skills (DeHaan 2009).

In fact, research suggests that explicit instruction in
critical thinking may make kids smarter, more independent, and more
creative.

Here are some examples--and some expert tips for teaching critical thinking to kids.

Teaching critical thinking may boost inventiveness and raise IQ

Richard Herrnstein and his colleagues gave over 400 seventh graders
explicit instruction in critical thinking--a program that covered
hypothesis testing, basic logic, and the evaluation of complex
arguments, inventiveness, decision making, and other topics.

After sixty 45-minute lessons, the kids were tested on a variety
of tasks, including tests the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and Raven
Progressive Matrices (both used to measure IQ). The project was
remarkably effective.

Compared to students in a control group, the kids given
critical thinking lessons made substantial and statistically significant
improvements in language comprehension, inventive thinking, and even IQ
(Herrnstein et al 1986).

In another experimental study, researchers Anat Zohar and colleagues
tested 678 seventh graders’ analytical skills. Then they randomly
assigned some students to receive critical thinking lessons as part of
their biology curriculum.

Students in the experimental group were explicitly trained to
recognize logical fallacies, analyze arguments, test hypotheses, and
distinguish between evidence and the interpretation of evidence.

Students in a control group learned biology from the same textbook but got no special coaching in critical thinking.

At the end of the program, students were tested again. The
students with critical thinking training showed greater improvement in
their analytical skills, and not just for biology problems. The kids trained in critical thinking also did a better job solving everyday problems (Zohar et al 1994).

Tips for teaching critical thinking: What should parents and teachers do?

The short answer is make the principles of rational and scientific thinking explicit.

Philip Abrami and colleagues analyzed 117 studies about teaching
critical thinking. The teaching approach with the strongest empirical
support was explicit instruction--i.e., teaching kids specific ways to reason and solve problems. In studies where teachers asked students to solve problems without giving them explicit instruction, students experienced little improvement (Abrami et al 2008).

So it seems that kids benefit most when they are taught formal
principles of reasoning. And the experiments mentioned above suggest
that middle school students aren't too young to learn about logic,
rationality, and the scientific method.

If your school isn’t teaching your child these things, then it
might be a good idea to find some educational materials and work on
critical thinking skills at home.

I also wonder about the need to counteract the forces of irrationality. As I’ve complained elsewhere,
TV, books, “educational" software, and misinformed authority figures can discourage critical thinking in children.

• Avoid pushing dogma. When we tell kids to do things in a certain way, we should give reasons.

• Encourage kids to ask questions. Parents and teachers
should foster curiosity in children. If a rationale doesn’t make sense
to a child, she should be encouraged to voice her objection or
difficulty.

• Ask kids to consider alternative explanations and solutions.
It’s nice to get the right answer. But many problems yield themselves
to more than one solution. When kids consider multiple solutions, they
may become more flexible thinkers.

• Get kids to clarify meaning. Kids should practice
putting things in their own words (while keeping the meaning intact).
And kids should be encouraged to make meaningful distinctions.

• Get kids to write. This last recommendation doesn’t come
from Facione or the APA, but it makes good sense. As many teachers
know, the process of writing helps students clarify their explanations
and sharpen their arguments. In a recent study, researchers assigned
college biology students to one of two groups. The writing group had to
turn in written explanations of their laboratory work. The control group
had to answer brief quizzes instead. At the end of the term, the
students in the writing group had increased their analytical skills
significantly. Students in the control group had not (Quitadamo and
Kurtz 2007).

Facione PA and the American Philosophical Association. 1990.
Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of
Educational Assessment and Instruction. In: Research Findings and
Recommendations, Millbrae, CA: Insight Assessment.